Greater Toronto, Canada—
netWORKS is a youth networking and mentoring initiative funded by United Way Greater Toronto, Canada.
The objective of this initiative is to support young people aged 18-29 in establishing the professional connections needed to find meaningful job opportunities.
The netWORKS programme aims to help young people aged 18-29 facing barriers to developing employment-focused networking and soft skills, meet new role models and expand professional networks. It was developed in response to research findings that showed that 85% of jobs are filled via networking and over 80 000 young people in the City of Toronto face barriers to developing the professional networks they need to succeed.
In the netWORKS programme, participants receive training, take part in networking sessions and have the opportunity to receive more structured mentoring. The objective of these activities is to expand their professional networks and get information from mentors within their field of interest.
The programme works thanks to the engagement of employers and the collaboration with local service delivery organisations that promote the programme among young people who have difficulties in finding a job while also offering real-world advice about recruitment, information about the corporate work environment, and increases confidence. netWORKS also encourages employers to support young professional employees to become mentors and create positive volunteer experiences for them. Since 2015, netWORKS has hosted over 90 networking events across the Greater Toronto Area. The programme is planned to run until 2025.
The United Way Greater Toronto collaborates with Ten Thousand Coffees, a company that offers career development through professional networking and mentoring.
Since 2015 the programme has established connections between over one thousand participants with 23 employer partners and 694 mentors. Among participants, 95% indicated that they obtained a better understanding of the existing opportunities in specific companies and 96% mentioned that they increased confidence in their networking abilities.
The success of the programme builds on the following key actions: i) train frontline agency staff to support youth facing barriers to employment to engage in the programme; ii) ensure that the youth continue interactions with mentors beyond the networking events; iii) build a strong collaboration with employers and local services.
OECD (2022), "Future-proofing adult learning systems in cities and regions: A policy manual for local governments", OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Papers, No. 2022/03, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/11fa26cc-en.
